Great Clips Franchise Well Groomed For The New Economy

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Many franchise companies are claiming to be "recession resistant" to attract anxious entrepreneurs, but not all have a history of success and value proposition to support that claim. It's no secret consumers are putting off and trading down to make do. Franchise systems providing an essential product or service that's built on value have a leg up when vying for new franchisees.

Minneapolis, MN (PRWEB) April 2, 2009 -- The Great Clips franchise opportunity is thriving and attracting prospective franchisees eager to own their own businesses even during troubled times.

"We're on track to welcome more than 100 new franchise owners into our system this year," said Rob Goggins, vice president of franchise development for the 2,700-unit hair salon franchise company.

"Hair grows every day, and people are still getting their hair cut every four to five weeks. Our Great Clips business model is positioned on a no appointment, value-priced haircut, which does well when the economy is humming, but even better when consumers are trimming expenses."

Case in point is Detroit where unemployment is almost 21 percent. Great Clips franchisees Sandra and Raine Campeau have five salons in the metro area and their sales are up more than five percent over the last six months--that's recession resistant.

The Campeaus explored several franchise concepts before signing with Great Clips in October 2002. "We did our due diligence. We could see that the business was steady and stable, but we also liked the lifestyle benefits," said Sandra Campeau, a former information technology VP. "Our salons are manager run, which allows us the time to travel and to escape the brutal, gray Michigan winters.

"Our highly trained licensed professional stylists treat our customers with respect. Even for those customers who are trying us for the first time after leaving full-service salons, we make them feel very comfortable. Another reason for our success is that we spend a lot of time developing our managers. Holding them accountable and teaching them how to hold stylists accountable is key."

If you ask the Campeaus whether they would do it again, you get an unqualified, "Absolutely!" They even recommended Great Clips to Raine's sister; she and her husband just opened their first Great Clips salon in December 2008 in the Boston metro area.

Sandra offers this timely advice to other franchisors: "People don't want to over-pay, but they don't want to feel like they are getting less, or compromising their standards either. They are looking for value right now. As long as we continue to deliver on our value proposition, we will continue to be successful franchisees."

About Great Clips:

Great Clips is North America's largest hair salon franchise brand with more than 2,700 salons conveniently located in high-visibility strip malls in nearly 140 markets. Great Clips employs nearly 30,000 stylists who are trained at 65 centers throughout the system. Great Clips consistently ranks among Entrepreneur magazine's Franchise 500Ò. Entrepreneur also ranks Great Clips one of their Fastest Growing and one of America's Top Global Franchises for 2009.

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